


20 Seconds of Courage

by endless_fiction



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Character Death, Embarrassed Kageyama Tobio, Fluff, Fluffy, Gay, Gay Male Character, Happy, Heartbreak, Illnesses, KageHina - Freeform, Kageyama/Hinata - Freeform, M/M, Mentioned Hinata Natsu, Multiple chapters, Only a little bit ;), Original Character(s), Sad, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, a bit of smut, daichi - Freeform, enjoy??, haikyuu!! - Freeform, hinata natsu - Freeform, idk - Freeform, kenma kozume - Freeform, m/m - Freeform, suga - Freeform, tsukishima kei - Freeform, tsukki - Freeform, yamaguchi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6942691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endless_fiction/pseuds/endless_fiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kageyama and Hinata become closer throughout the summer but face complications in their relationship when a new girl moves to their town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hinata Shoyo

**Author's Note:**

> This story isnt complete yet! i am still writing it :)

I slapped the ball in my hand against the cold wooden floor, looking up through my thick orange bangs. I smacked the volleyball once more, then raising it in the air to spike my serve. I watched the ball hit my hand awkwardly and smash right into the net and drop dead on the floor. “Tsk. Damn it…” I muttered to myself. I looked towards the gym door to make sure no one saw my terrible attempt, relieved to see no one is sight. I took a few steps back until my shoulders rested against the padded wall and sunk myself down onto the floor. I took a glance at my watch and saw I had been practicing for about an hour and a half after club practice had already ended. I had the keys, since Suga-san, a third-year on my volleyball team, lent me them so I could practice on my own. I was still a little surprised he trusted me with them since I know I’m a bit of an airhead, and could easily forget to lock up.  
“I’m impressed.” I heard a voice say, coming from towards the club room. I glanced over my shoulder to see Kageyama leaning against the wall, arms crossed and watching me. “I’m happy to see you work so hard.” He said calmly, although his glare pierced my lungs.  
“Ha, thanks” I snickered “But I really don’t think I’m making much progress.” I wiggled my toes inside my sneakers. I’ve had them since I was a second year at my old school, tattered and worn out. They have always been my favorite. Kageyama walked lightly while making his way over to sit next to me. He shrugged is body onto the ground, yet still managing to loom over me.  
“Do you want some help? I can try and help you.” He said.  
I took my eyes away from my shoes to look at him. He wasn’t looking at me, so he probably wasn’t aware that I couldn’t bring myself to look away. The windows in the gym were letting in the afternoon sunlight that was catching every corner of Kageyama’s figure. His whole being was illuminated. The sun invaded his pale grey-blue eyes, casting shadows by his irises and pupils and making them look like swirling smoke in blue water. The swift breeze entering the room lifted his raven hair off his forehead, just to give it a slight sway. His skin was a shade darker than mine, so it glowed wherever the sun kissed whatever flesh was exposed. Tobio closed his eyes and leaned his head back, taking a deep breath through his nose. Great, now I know I will never be able to look away. I jolted when I realised I hadn’t responded to his offer.  
“Oh! Right, sorry. Um, maybe tomorrow? Since its almost 6:00 I was going to head home soon anyways.” I still couldn’t stop looking at him. Simple admiration, that’s all.  
He opened his eyes and I shifted my field of vision so it looked like I was looking at something just behind Kageyama, and not ogling him like a lust crazed school girl. Kageyama seemed surprisingly calm. “You okay?” I asked, switching my gaze to him, studying his face. He had a wrinkle above his brow, suggesting he had been worried about something all day.  
“Yeah.” He said after a minute. “Hey Hinata?”  
“Hm?”  
“I hate to ask you this on such short notice but,” he wiggled where he sat on the ground, clearly not comfortable with what he was about to ask. “Could I stay at your place? Just for the next two weeks?”  
“W-what?” I blinked. My parents were out of town for the next eight days with Natsu for some kind of event, leaving me behind because of volleyball, although I was turning 17 in a few months so they trusted me alone. So if Tobio did stay over, we would be alone together for a while. Shivers ran down my neck. “Why?” my voice sounded a little too uneasy. Hopefully he didn’t notice.   
“Do you not want me to?” Kageyama looked me dead in the eye.  
“Of course I want you to, I’d just like to know why!” I sat on my knees to get a better look at Kageyama. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked somewhat red and swollen. “Kage-“  
“Please?” Kageyama’s voice was small and sounded a bit broken. “I’ll tell you soon, I swear,” He was begging now. “But for right now I really need a place to stay.” My stomach dropped. Kageyama didn’t seem to be able to look at me. I had no idea what had happened, all I knew was that it was bad news and it really effected him.  
“You know it’s okay, of course I’ll let you stay Tobio.” I said. He looked up at the sound of his name. “But, my parents will be gone for just over a week. I hope that’s okay.”  
“That’s fine. Thank you. My stuff is in the club room. I’ll be right back.” Kageyama stood up and walked towards the room slightly right to where he was siting.  
I sat there quietly, waiting for him to return. It was early June so the air was starting to warm up, making it smell warm, like burning leaves and carried he sound of birds chirping in the distance. I rested my head against the wall and listened to Kageyama’s rummaging in the other room. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose, and caught the smell of the river that was next to the gym. It smelled fresh and clean, relaxing me. I felt something gently touch my forehead. I opened my eyes to see Kageyama crouching in front of me, slightly blushing, although I didn’t know why.  
“Ready?” I said, my voice a bit quieter than I had intended it to be.  
“Yeah. Here.” Kageyama extended his hand out to me, helping me off the floor. His hands were hot, matching the red that was spreading across his cheeks and nose, showing off freckles I had never noticed before.  
“You okay?” I searched his face. His eyes weren’t as puffy as they were earlier, but they were still a little red, and seemed more clouded than before. “Kageyama?”  
“I’m fine. Let’s just go.” His voice was hard, and cold. Shivers crawled up my back and under my skin, sending goosebumps all over my body.  
Something was definitely not right. I had just wished I knew what to say, as if I could put words into the form of a bandage to heal whatever was hurting him. I hated seeing him like this. His lips were spread thin, and his nose was red. He had a crease pressed into his skin above his brow, and he had a painful expression plastered on his face. Even his body was stiff. God, I hated seeing him look so hurt. I just wish he’d stop making that face.  
“Oi.” I said, trying to take his mind off whatever was bothering him. “Relax. Let’s grab some ice cream on the way home, okay? My treat, dumbass.” I pinched his elbow, trying to coax a smile or annoyance from him. Any other expression would be better than the one he was wearing. “Kageyama.”  
“Okay. Thanks.” He blew air aggressively through his nose, and smiled. My stomach twisted in knots.  
His smile was more painful than his grimace. I could tell it was forced.   
Once we arrived at my front door, I collected our ice cream sticks and wrappers and threw them out in the garbage next to the faded brown mailbox. I looked at Kageyama, and smiled.  
“Now, I know this is your first time staying over, so welcome to my home Kageyama! I only have two rules,” I smiled, and Kageyama raised an eyebrow at me. “Always flush, and cover your mouth when you burp and or chew.” I winked at him. “C’mon. I’ll give you a first class tour.”  
“Okay.” Kageyama flinched when I reached into my pocket to grab the house keys. “Thanks again. For letting me stay here, Hinata. You didn’t have to and you did, and it means a lot and-”  
“Oh, shut up. Don’t kiss my ass, I know you’d do the same for me.” Kageyama lightly punched my shoulder. I pushed the key into the lock and swung the front door open. “Ta-da! Welcome to my humble abode.” Kageyama hesitated at the front door, shoulders extremely stiff.  
“S-sorry for the intrusion!” He blurted, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut. I stared at him for a long moment as he just stood there like that. After a while, he cracked and eye open. “What? Dumbass, don’t just stare at me! Say something, idiot!”  
“Idiot? Me?” I gasped. I clicked my tongue at him. “I’m not the idiot calling out to no one. Seriously, who are you talking to? I told you, no one is here.” I eyed him up and down, raisin an eyebrow at him.  
“Sh-shut up.” He took a step inside and I closed the door behind us. “Your house is lovely, and its surprisingly clean.”  
“What is that supposed to mean?” I barked. He flicked my nose and proceeded into my house. “Ah! Shoes off Bakageyama!” Kageyama stopped and kicked his shoes off, sending them flying in my direction. I ducked, avoiding a shoe heading towards my face. “Idiot.”  
“It smells good in here.” He took in a deep breath and smiled. “It smells sweet and warm, like vanilla icing and roses.” He looked at me and frowned.  
“What? What’s wrong?” I asked.  
“I don’t know where everything is, I just realized.” He wiggled his toes in his socks.  
“Right!” I exclaimed “How about that tour?” I grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him away from the front door. “Okay.” I said, shoving him into the kitchen. “This is the fridge, and this is where the plates and bowls go. Here,” I pointed to the drawer above the dishwasher “is where the forks, knives, and spoons go. You do know what a spoon is, don’t you?” Kageyama pinched my ear.  
“Shut up, I’ll learn this on my own. Show me everything else.”  
“Okay, okay. So here is the living room, and next to that is my dad’s office. We can use it if we need to.” I lead him through the main hall “Here is Natsu’s playroom.”  
“That’s your sister, right? She’s five or so?”  
“Yep! And to the right of it is the stairs leading up to all the bedrooms.” I climbed the stairs and showed Kageyama my sister’s room and the art room for my mom. “This is my parents room.” I said as we approached a big wooden door. “This is where I’ll be staying so you can just use my bedroom.” I yanked at the door knob. The door didn’t budge. “They locked it! What the hell?”  
“What now? Your sisters bed is too small for either of us.” Kageyama scratched the back of his neck nervously.  
“I guess you’ll just have to sleep on the futon in my room.” I said, turning away from my parent’s door to head to my bedroom.  
I walked to the last door in the hallway and excitedly swung it open. Kageyama’s jaw dropped. Since it was around 7:15pm, the sun was shining through the window that made up most of the far wall, casting shadows and orange rays of light along the ceiling and walls. It looked like my bedroom was kissed by the sun.  
“Wow.” Kageyama said, entering my room. He looked at the art projects tapped up on my walls, and looked at my book collection and awed at my volleyball trophies. “Your room is very nice, Hinata.”  
“Thank you, I’m glad to hear you think so.” I said as I searched the linen closet for the extra futon. It was no where to be found. “So, um I’m pretty sure my family took the futon with them.” I looked down at my feet. Kageyama swallowed loudly. “We have to share a bed together.” I looked up at him, slightly embarrassed.  
Since my sisters bed was too small for either of us and there was no way into my parent’s bedroom, it was the only option. I was not about to let the first friend I’ve ever had over sleep on the floor, nor was I about to sleep on the floor.  
“Oh,” He said “That’s alright. I don’t mind as long as you don’t mind. There’s not a lot of room for anyone to sleep on the floor, plus it’ll be bad for our backs and we can’t have that for volleyball so.”  
“Yeah, I don’t care.” I could feel my ears start to get warm. I looked over at the clock, realizing its almost 7:30. “Shit, its past dinner. I can make us something if you wanna take a bath o-or we can skip dinner and have a light snack since it’s a little late and I can draw you a bath while you set your stuff up since you’ll be here for a while and-”  
“Hinata.” Kageyama blurted, interrupting my aloud thoughts that kept flowing off my tongue like word vomit. “Quit rambling. I know where everything is since you just showed me around. I can draw myself a bath since I already ate at school, if you want to eat something.” He stood awkwardly in front of me, visibly uncomfortable.  
“Oh, right. Okay, cool. I’m going to go make some soup. Enjoy your bath.”  
“Eh, thanks.” Kageyama spun on his heel to leave the room, heading down the hall towards the bathroom closest to my bedroom.  
I sat down on my bed. Damn it, why was I so nervous? I felt like my stomach was about to fall out of my ass and my breath was being sucked down deeper into my lungs making it almost impossible to catch my breath. I clutched the bed sheets and balled them up in my hands. Get a hold of yourself, damn it! It occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch at school and that maybe after I ate, I’d feel better.  
I made my way into the kitchen and switched on the kettle, letting the water boil for my soup. I heard a rush of water hitting the walls of the bathtub on the floor above. Kageyama started his bath. My stomach immediately lunged at the thought of Kageyama in my house. Taking a bath. Naked.  
I slapped my hands against my cheeks to try and stop my brain from thinking whatever the hell it was thinking about. The sound of water stopped, and I heard two distinct thuds of Kageyama stepping into the tub, and then another thud, indicating he had sat down. I let out a deep sigh, in attempt to settle the butterflies in my stomach. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the loud whistle of the kettle went off behind me. I poured the water into my bowl, and stirred in the soup mix, carefully keeping an ear turned to the upstairs bathroom. I took another quick glance at the time on the kitchen clock above the fridge. 7:48. I slurped down the rest of my soup, tossing the bowl in the sink to clean up later, and made my way up the main stairs. As I walked towards my bedroom, I caught a glimpse of the yellow-orange florescent light emitting from under the bathroom door. I’ll just take a bath after him, I thought to myself. But, then again we didn’t have much warm water. I stopped walking as I reached my bedroom doorway, clenching my eyes shut. I let out a low ‘tsk’, clicking my tongue. I blew air out through my nose, and turned to walk to the bathroom.  
“Oi. Kageyama.” I called out.  
“What is it, Shoyo?” He sounded kind of muffled, like his nose was stuffed. He also sounded kind of uneasy.  
I swallowed, not sure why my palms started to sweat, but I had a gut feeling something was seriously wrong about the way his voice cracked when he called back to me.  
“Uh,” I stammered, completely forgetting what I had wanted to say. “I, um...” I trailed off. I tapped a finger against my bottom lip, trying to remember what is was I wanted to say. Shit… What was it again? It had to do with Kageyama, and water- “Oh!” I exclaimed, snapping my fingers. “You took a hot bath right? Did you empty the water?”  
“Uh, yeah its still pretty warm, and no I’m just getting out, why?”  
“Leave the water in!” I shouted at the wooden door separating Kageyama and I. “We don’t have enough hot water so ill just use your bath water, as long as its not gross and dirty.”  
“Gross and dirty?! I’m not a pig Hinata, you dumbass!” I stifled a laugh.  
I could just imagine the face he was making; vein bulging in his neck, face red, steam coming out of his nose. I snorted from trying not to laugh and ended up bursting into a ball of laughter.  
“Hinata!” Kageyama-kun snapped at me, but I was laughing too hard to respond. I bent over clutching my stomach, laughing so hard. Although I don’t know why I was laughing so damn much, the situation wouldn’t be nearly as funny to anyone else. But, Kageyama mad and not being able to do anything about it made my sides split. “Asshole.” I heard Kageyama say under is breath from the other side of the door.  
“Oi!” I said, hitting the door with my hand. “Geez, just hurry up and get out so I can get my bath started.” Kageyama hesitated.  
“I can’t.”  
“What?”  
“I can’t!” Kageyama leaned against the door, making it squeak under his weight. “I forgot my towel.”  
“Oh, pfft. I can grab you a towel Kageyama-kun!” I skipped to the linen closet and grab a bright pink towel off the rack. It was my sister Natsu’s but since Kageyama was such a princess, I figured it suited him better than my black towel.  
I knocked on the bathroom door and put on my cheekiest smile manageable. Tobio cracked the door open, letting a waft of steam press into the chilled air around me sending shivers shooting down my back. The air smelled musky like cologne and burning wood, which is what Kageyama always smelled like. He always smelled so good, it was almost intoxicating. I held out the pink towel to him, and smiled. “Here you go!” Kageyama looked at me with a quizzical expression, water dripping off his eyelashes.  
“Pink?”  
“You’re welcome.” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. “Serves you right for forgetting your own towel.”  
Kageyama grabbed the towel, his warm fingers just brushing mine lightly. I looked down at the towel and the wet marks Kageyama’s fingers left on mine.  
“Thanks.” He said, gently. He disappeared behind the door for a moment, until he swung the door open, hitting me with a wall of warm air.  
He had the small towel wrapped around his waist. I froze, shocked at how good he looked. His hip bones were complimented by a v-line of muscle, his abs were toned, along with his chest, and his arms and back made my mouth twitch. Kageyama looked at me tilting his head, utterly confused. It seemed he didn’t know why I was staring at him, thank God. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to make room for words, but none came out. He stood over me, his wet hair dripping onto my forehead. He leaned in closer and closer, causing my heart to beat out of my chest. I had no idea what he was planning on doing. Panic rose throughout my body, making the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck to stand on end. Kageyama was about two inches away from my face, our noses almost touching. I stared directly into his eyes. My palms started to sweat.  
“Move.” He said, pushing me a step to the side so he could pass. I blinked as he made his way down the hall and into my bedroom.  
“Jesus.” I muttered under my breath. That was way too close for comfort.


	2. Hinata Shouyo

I drained the rest of the bath water from the tub as I rubbed my hair with a dry towel. I pulled a t-shirt and pajama pants on and walked out of the bathroom.  
I was a little nervous to sleep. After all, I did know Kageyama pretty well, but sharing a bed with him seemed very new and unfamiliar. I walked down the hallway, the floorboards squealing under my weight. I paused in front of my door. I drew a long, deep breath and held it.  
Calm down, Shoyo. It’s just Kageyama. It’s not even a big deal and he’ll be here for a while so get used to it sooner rather than later.  
I blew air out through my nose and opened the door to my bedroom.  
“Oi.” I said, tossing my towel into the laundry basket next to my closet. “Ready to tell me what’s going on?”  
It was still bugging me why Kageyama was here. Although I didn’t mind him being there, I was just confused as to why. Obviously, something was making him upset. There had to be a reason for him to need a place to stay for two weeks.  
Kageyama looked up at me in shock. He sighed, leaning back on the mattress. I felt a bit too satisfied with the sight of him sprawled comfortably on my bed.  
“I guess I do owe you an explanation, don’t I?” He closed his eyes, lacing his hands behind his neck. “Alright then. I’ll tell you.”  
I sat down on a small chair just left to the bed, where Kageyama lied. I glanced at his face. He seemed oddly calm, though his eyes were closed so I couldn’t see if he had been crying while I was in the bath or not. Kageyama stretched his hands out upwards towards the ceiling, then laid them down by his sides. I could see the uneasy rise and fall of his chest while he breathed. He was on the verge of tears. He always had that expression of bitterness after we lost a match or when he rejected confessions. It was the face that always said “I’m okay as long as I hold it in”. My heart dropped into my stomach, making me feel sick. He was wearing a painful version of that face.  
“Kageyama you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, its alright.” I said cautiously, as if I were to speak any louder, he might shatter into pieces.  
“No, it’s okay. I promised I’d tell you and I don’t break my promises.” He sighed, and sat up. He still hadn’t looked at me. “My parents are in Tokyo because my great aunt has a rare Cancer. So, my parents went down to go see her, and the doctor said it was a genetic cancer, and that our family was prone to it.” Kageyama lifted the back of his hand to his nose, wiping tears and snot onto the sleeve of his grey sweater. “And, it turns out that, um,” He took a deep breath, his hands shaking as he did so. “My mother has it too. Now the doctors are treating her and examining her. They wont be back for a while.”  
“I’m glad you told me, Kageyama.” I noticed his shoulders were shaking. I stood up from the chair and sat next to him on the bed, the mattress sighed under my added weight. “I am so sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder in a lousy attempt to comfort him, but honestly, I had no idea what to do. I had never seen Kageyama actually cry before.  
Kageyama looked up at me, his face red and a bit swollen. Teardrop tracks stained his cheeks. I felt my nose twinge and a lump started to form in the back of my throat. I placed my other hand on his shoulder. “You are not alone in this, okay? I’ll be here every step of the way.” Kageyama’s chin wobbled.  
“Promise?”  
“I swear.”  
Kageyama slowly put his hands on my shoulder, looking down. I could feel his shallow breathing start to get more rapid. In less than a second, he pulled my body closer to his and hugged me tight, sobbing into my shirt. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, hugging him close to my chest, not daring to let go.  
“Thank you, Hinata.” I felt the heat of his breath linger on my collarbone. I pulled away from him, so I could see his face. He was looking away towards the closet, not able to look me in the eye since he was a mess. It was so rare for me to see him like this, and I wanted to know what kind of face he was making. I put my hand under his chin, pushing his jaw so he was looking me in the eye. I wanted to see his face, but once I did, I immediately regretted it. His eyes were red, his cheeks hung heavily on his cheekbones, his nose was swollen, and his lips were spread thin. His whole facial expression was so painful. Kageyama usually showed little to no emotions, ever, so seeing him emotional was interesting. But, this broke my heart. I never wanted to see him make this face ever again. I felt tears prick in my eyes as I wiped his away.  
“How about we try and get some sleep, okay?” Kageyama nodded, letting go of my shirt. I pushed the blankets back, letting Kageyama crawl in first.  
I walked over to the light switch and waited until he stopped rolling around in the bed. Once Tobio got comfortable, I clicked the switch, making the room pitch black. The only light visible was the street and star light coming in through my bedroom window. I walked carefully, watching where I stepped. Once I reached the bed, I lifted the sheets and wiggled in next to Kageyama. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest and my hands started to sweat at the palms.  
“Hey, Hinata?” Kageyama said after about five minutes of uncomfortable silence.  
“Hm? What is it?”  
“Where exactly is your family?”  
“Oh,” I said. They didn’t really say much, but I remembered a few minor details. “They are in Tokyo for my sister’s soccer tournament. They should be back soon, but that’s also depending on how well my sister’s team does. I couldn’t go because my grades are lacking.” I laughed, touching the back of my neck.  
“Tokyo, huh?” I felt the bed shift as Kageyama turned over onto his side so that his face was towards mine. Although I could barley see him, I knew he had stopped crying. “So, both our families are there. Must be a party.” He sighed, sending a gust of hot air to brush against my cheek. Shivers ran down my arms and legs. His nose couldn’t be more than two or three inches away from mine, since my bed was only a twin sized bed. I closed my eyes, and listened to our hearts beating until the sounds overlapped, making a single heart beat.  
His breathing became uneasy, coaxing me out of my sleep. I opened my eyes, curious as to what was going on, but his back was towards me. I could tell he was crying as quietly as possible. I felt my heart crack inside my chest, pushing shards into my lungs, making my breath get caught in my throat. That is when I concluded, there was still something Kageyama wasn’t telling me.  
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a piano playing softly in the other room. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, my vision still fuzzy. I looked over to where Kageyama was sleeping next to me, but he was nowhere to be found. Sun rays were peaking out behind my drawn orange curtains, making the room possess a gentle glow. It couldn’t have been later than 9 o’clock. I crawled out of bed and made my way over to the next room, stepping as quietly as possible. As I made each stride, I made certain to step only on carpet so the wooden floors wouldn’t squeak under my weight, alarming Kageyama. I made my way over towards the gentle melody, each note sending a fresh wave of curiosity to come crashing over me. I stood in the doorway and watched as Kageyama, still in his pj’s, plucked delicately at each key, stroking each finger off very lightly. His hands bounced around gracefully, sending the harmony to linger like dust in the air. His head bobbed with each crescendo, visibly lost in the music. It was, for some reason, very hard to watch something so beautiful. The music was played so incredibly pure and rich that it felt like each note cut at my heart. I felt my breath get caught in my throat as I watched. My nose gave a sharp and painful twinge, almost as if I had just been hit in the face with a basketball, and my sight became blurry. I wiped my eye, and sighed silently. I let Kageyama take my breath away with each bar played. I leaned to my right, letting the doorframe take all my weight, and closed my eyes. As Kageyama continued to play softly and carefully, I could feel the suns rays pour into the room, warming my chest and arms. The window was open, letting a soft breeze waft into the room, carrying the sweet smell of roses and freshly cut grass. A small smile crept across my face. Everything was blissful. I could get used to waking up like this, I thought to myself. I took a small breath in through my nose, and exhaled. I lazily held my eyelids half open, then snapped the open completely. I looked at Kageyama, who was turned to stare right at me. When had the music stopped? Why hadn’t I noticed it stopped? How long had he been staring at me like that?  
“Uh.” I started. Kageyama’s face wash slightly flushed, but his glare was painful and hard. He was looking at me as if I had intruded. Perhaps, in a way, I had intruded. “I’m sorry Kageyama, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”  
“It’s fine.”  
Kageyama stood up from his seat, brushed off his pants, and pushed past me through the door. As he passed, a gust of air followed him that carried his scent. My knees weakened and I grasped the doorframe for support. I definitely didn’t get enough sleep last night, I told myself, even though I knew that wasn’t true. I slept wonderfully. Better than I had in weeks, to be frank. I had no explanation as to why though. Nothing was particularly different from how I usually sleep, with the exception of Kageyama sleeping by my side. Suddenly a flash image of last night crossed my mind. I remembered his arm lazily stretched over top of me, how his head eventually slid next to mine causing our hair to ruffle together on our pillows, how his nearly silent mumbles in his sleep woke me up in a peaceful way, how his chest pressed gently against my arm, how he cried silently, how I could feel his heart beat, how I wished so hard that he wouldn’t feel mine beating harder than I think it ever had before. “Oi.” Kageyama called out to me from the other end of the hall, snapping me from my rapid thoughts.  
I felt a light sheet of sweat gather on my brown. I grabbed the front of my shirt and flapped it in desperate attempt in cooling myself off.  
“What?” I said, accidentally defensive.  
“Are there any chores or anything to be done?” He asked. I blinked, and looked at him. He genuinely wanted to help around the house? Was he trying to show his gratitude towards me? I blinked again.  
I’m so confused.  
“Hinata.” Kageyama said, harsher this time. “Jesus, how is it so easy for you to zone out in the middle of a conversation?”  
“Sorry, sorry.” I said as I brushed past him in the hallway. “I’ll check to see if my mom wants me to do any chores today. I just gotta go grab my phone. I’ll be back in two seconds, hold on.”  
I walked into my bedroom and searched the desk across the room for my phone. I found it where I had set it when I came home last night with Kageyama. Had I really not needed my phone that entire time? I usually use it at least three of four times to text Kenma and Kageyama. Ah, but Kageyama was here last night so there was no actual need for me to text him. I flipped my yellow phone open and saw two new messages from my mom. The first one read:  
Hey Shoyo, sweetie! Its mum, just checking in. I’d like you to mow the lawn and pick the weeds out of the garden for today! There is some leftover chicken in the fridge, so maybe you can make yourself some stew or maybe even some chili?  
Awesome.  
Love you!  
-Mom  
The second one read:  
Hey honey. Mom again. Just got a text from Mrs. Kageyama. Heard she and Tobio have a rare cancer from genetics? Poor boy. She mentioned he might stay at our home for some time. Make sure he’s comfortable :( Can’t imagine what that family is going through. Talk to you tonight. Lots of love.  
-Mom  
My stomach dropped. “-from Mrs. Kageyama. Heard she and Tobio have a rare cancer from genetics? Poor boy“ My hands were starting to sweat as I read and re read the text. “-Heard she and Tobio have-“ “-she and Tobio-“ “-Tobio-“  
No. no. no. no. no. Not Tobio. Not Kageyama. No, he’s my partner, he’s not going anywhere. No way. Please, no.  
“Hinata!” I heard him call from outside my room. “So? Did she text you?” Shit. I panicked, and it my insides started to burn. What do I do? Do I confront him? Do I wait for him to tell me? I have no idea what to do. “Dumbass, what’d she say?”  
“Oh, uh, um, she u-uh said that she wants us to mow the lawn and pick weeds. Doesn’t have to be right now though.” I trailed off. I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart was beating out of control, I was convinced Kageyama could hear it.  
“Oh, okay.” Kageyama gave me a once-over as I slowly came out of my bedroom. “You alright? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” I could feel tears pressing against the edge of my eyes. I felt like throwing up. He furrowed his brow at me. “Hinata. Hey.” He approached me and put a hand on my shoulder. “What happened?” Damn it. I hate how easily he can tell what my emotions are and just how much they are effecting me. Stupid setters. I looked towards the hand on my shoulder and I realised that he was gripping me slightly. No, he can’t find out that I know. I pushed his hand off my shoulder and tried to brush him off completely with a fake laugh and forced smile.  
“I’m fine!” I said, forcing a flash of teeth in a toothy grin. It felt so unnatural. “Let’s get some breakfast!” I felt so unnatural. I patted him on the back as I passed him in the hall. I felt absolutely sick to my stomach.  
“Um, okay.” I heard Kageyama say behind me hesitantly. I hope to god he can’t tell that I’m acting strange. I don’t want anything to be different between us. I really like where we are as friends! I don’t know how I’d act around him, especially if we both knew I knew he was sick. My eyes widened in realisation and I clutched my stomach. What if he started acting strange around me? What if we couldn’t be friends anymore? I don’t want to lose him, he’s my best friend, damn it! My eyes started to water even more, tears almost spilling over the edge. Oh god, no. God no, please, please don’t take him away from me, please. I reached a hand on to steady myself with the wall but when I reached out all I felt was empty air against my hand. My body unhinged at every joint and the corners of my eyes started to turn black. I was seeing blue spots and my heart was clenching. My hands were shaking and my stomach was tied in knots. I was having a panic attack. I tried to breathe in but my lungs just clutched tighter, denying any oxygen I was trying to desperately force into them. “Hinata?” I heard Kageyama say. He sounded far off and distant.  
“Kageya-“The rest of his name melted into my tongue and my tongue felt like it had disappeared. All of a sudden, the wooden floor zoomed up to me at full speed and everything turned black. I passed out on the fucking floor. Ill have fun explaining that to Kageyama. Awesome.  
When I opened my eyes a few hours later, the first thing I saw was a greyish blue. I blinked, realising I was staring straight into Kageyama’s eyes. He was dabbing a wet washcloth onto my forehead. His brow line, I had noticed, and an indent from worrying and his face was a bit pale. He looked at me and sighed, placing the cloth on my head and sat back into the couch.  
“Dumbass, don’t scare me like that.” He rested his head back and closed his eyes.  
“Um,” I managed. “What happened?” Kageyama opened his eyes to look at me, giving me a look that said ‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me’.  
“You blacked out for some fucking reason. And, of course, on your way down you landed face first, nearly breaking your fucking face. There was blood everywhere, I thought you were dying.” I sat up to look at Kageyama. There was blood on his left shoulder, arm and behind his left ear. Did he scoop me up and carry me? I then realised that his eyes were slightly puffy and red. He had been crying. Was it because of me? Did I really scare him that bad? “Hinata, are you okay?” I blinked. He leaned in closer, balancing himself on his hands, looking deep into my eyes, the blue in his eyes was so clean and clear it could basically pass as crystal.  
“What?”  
“I said, ‘Are you okay’ you fucking ditz.” Kageyama never swore this much. He must’ve been pretty god damn pissed.  
“Oh, uh, yeah? I think I’m good. I had a nose bleed?” I looked down to see that I wasn’t wearing the pyjamas that I had on this morning, nor was there any blood on me anywhere. “I don’t see any blood.”  
“It soaked through all of your clothes so I changed you.” Kageyama’s ears started to turn a little pink. “You’re welcome.”  
“Jeez, thank you! Wow, you’re a life saver Kageyama! I’m sorry I made you so worried. I’ll go make us some lunch.” I swung my legs over the edge of the couch and proceeded to stand up when everything got bright and my ears started ringing. I wobbled a little bit, trying to take a few steps forward but everything just kept getting brighter. I legs began to give out and I stumbled, on the verge of falling. “Crap!” I exclaimed, and my legs gave out completely. Kageyama, thank god, caught me just in time. He swooped his arms under my armpits and my face landed softly into his chest between his pectoral muscles.  
“Whoa, Hinata. Take it easy for a while. You just hit your head pretty hard, you need to lie down for a while.” I stood there leaning into his chest, starting to realise I had caught my self a little on my way down, resulting in my hands grabbing his biceps. My face started to burn. “Please sit.” I looked up at Kageyama and his eyes were bright. I decided to take a mental picture of his face looking down at me like that. He had a faint smile, and his cheeks were slightly red. His eyes smiled bigger than the rest of his face did though. I felt my breath get caught in my throat.  
“I’m not entirely sure if I can walk very well. I don’t know if I’ll be okay in time to mow the law.”  
“That’s totally okay.” Kageyama said gently. I guess he isn’t as pissed as before now. “I can do it. I don’t mind helping.”  
“Are you sure?” My legs began to wobble again and I started to slump to the floor. Kageyama reached down to pick me up behind my knees and scoop me into his arms. It was such a swift motion that I had barley noticed what had happened. “Kageyama?”  
“You can’t walk yet, dumbass. Just take it easy for a while right now, okay? I’m just gonna put you outside so you can at least get some fresh air while I work and I can keep an eye on you.” Kageyama wasn’t looking at me. I was glad he wasn’t because if he was, he would’ve noticed how hard I was staring at him. He is so damn cool. I could hardly stand it.  
“Th-thanks.” I squeaked. I still hadn’t figured out how or why, but whenever I was near Kageyama my heart would beat wildly. Especially when having physical contact with him. Whether it be ruffling my hair, patting my back, or full out carrying me like a princess around my house, my heart could hardly take it just as much each time he laid a finger on me.  
In a very sexy way, Tobio hooked his hip on the corner of the sliding door, thrusting it open. Kageyama lightly put me down in a chair that was outside on the back porch. The sun was hot on my skin and there was hardly a breeze so it didn’t take long for beads of sweat to start forming on my forehead. He looked at my steadily, examining my movements like he does during matches. “Is everything okay?” I asked. Normally he would hit me over the head for being so careless and passing out like that, but his actions were so gentle and even his gaze was soft and warm.  
“I’m just glad you’re okay, Hinata.” Kageyama said, lightly placing his fingertips on my arm. Goosebumps rose throughout my entire body. “I’ll do the chores today, alright? I just want you to take it easy for right now, just in case you still feel faint.” He was still looking me in the eyes. His gaze was subtle, and the blue of them was soft and calm. “Do you mind if I ask where the lawn mower is?” I blinked.  
“Oh! Yes, its in the shed over there,” I said, pointing to the little brown shack in the corner of the green backyard. “To the left. It’s a manual one though, and the lawn is large. Are you sure you don’t want to take turns? It’s really hot outside, Kageyama.” He ruffled my orange locks and laughed, giving me what seemed like a genuine smile. My fingers twitched and my stomach did a flip. It was so rare to see Kageyama smile and not have him look murderous.  
“Thanks, but ill be fine. Just relax, alright?” He turned around and walked down the wooden stairs to make his way to the shed.  
“Okay.” I muttered to myself. I licked my lips, realising my mouth was dry. I sat up and swung my feet over the bench, and opened the back door. I slid it open slowly, since I was still a little groggy it took a bit more concentration than usual to open it. I took a step inside, and closed the door behind me. Shutting my eyes, I inhaled through my nose. Since a good amount of my house was made of wood, every morning when the sun would cook the dark corners of the house and sift a sweet maple smell into the atmosphere of our home. This happened every sunny day around noon when the rays would seep into the wood just right. It was my favourite thing about this house. I loved it.  
I lazily walked into the kitchen and dragged the fridge door open. I gazed inside and looked around for something to drink. My eyes caught a few plastic water bottles that had been set in the fridge to cool. I grabbed one and twisted the top, just to make sure it hadn’t been opened yet. It was sealed shut and gave a satisfying pop noise when I cracked the lid off. I was about to close the fridge door when I thought that Kageyama might be thirsty too. Sighing, I grabbed another water bottle and headed outside.  
I squeezed my eyes shut after I made my first step outside, blinded by the hot sun. My head swayed a bit, swirling from the sudden dizziness. Once my feet felt grounded again, I blinked and searched for Kageyama in my backyard. Once my eyes landed on him, I blinked in heated confusion. Sure, it was hot as balls outside so it makes sense that Kageyama would feel the need to take his shirt off. And it’s not like I hadn’t seen him without a shirt before, we change in front of each other all the time for volleyball in the club room. Hell, the other day we sat around the club room with everyone in our boxers, dripping with sweat from the heat after practice. But this time, something seemed different. He was sweating from the heat and hard work, but only enough to set a layer of sweat glistening on his body. He hadn’t been outside long enough to start dripping. His hair was messed from the dirty gloves he was wearing and his shorts were riding down, slightly exposing his hip bones and the top of his underwear. Every muscle was carefully outlined by the shadows being casted by the sun. I swallowed hard, feeling a drop of sweat roll down my spine. I shivered, despite being in scorching heat.  
It pissed me off how good he looked, and it pissed me off that it confused me as to why he suddenly looked so good. Enraged, I gripped the water bottle.  
“Kageyama!” I screamed. He quickly looked at me, question marks written all over his face. I gritted my teeth because he was just so fucking cute. “Cool the fuck down!” I shouted, closing my eyes. I lifted my arm above my head, then whipped the water bottle in his direction. I opened one eye just in time to see the plastic bottle slam Kageyama square in the forehead. I couldn’t hold in my laugh. Kageyama threw his head back in impact, then slowly brought it back down to glare at me intensely.  
Fuck.  
“Hinata, you dumbass!” He sprinted towards me, causing me to scream and jump down the porch stairs. I rolled over in the gross when I landed since I lost my balance. I looked up, back to the ground, the sun starting to heat up my face. A shadow blocked the sun out of my eyes. Kageyama loomed over me, dripping sweat from his face onto mine. With each foot besides my hips, he sat down on top of me, crushing my pelvis with his ass. I let out a loud ‘ouf’ and Kageyama wiggled side to side on top of me, laughing. I tried to push him off me since he was rocking against me in a way that sent shiver to rise in places I didn’t even know I had.  
“Kageyama what are you-“ I tried to shove him off by the legs, but he just spread his legs wider so I would be able to knock him off. Not when his balance was so evenly spread on top of me. “Bakageyama!” I wailed, going to sucker punch his stomach. He caught my wrist, and grabbed the other one too, and tugged my hands above my head, pushing them into the grass. This motion made Kageyama have to stretch over me, his sweaty hair touching my exposed forehead. My breath hitched when I felt his pressure against my hips and his hips grow heavier.  
“If only you had aim like that on the court.” He smiled, creeping me the fuck out, as he touched his forehead with one hand, the other hand holding both my wrists.  
“You’re a nasty piece of work, Tobio.” I growled, trying to intimidate him in desperate attempt to get him the fuck of my body. His smile faded and his eyes widened. I noticed, too, that his cheeks went a bit pink at that. Had he remembered something embarrassing all of a sudden? “Uh,” I tilted my head to the side. “Kageyama? You good?” He blinked, rolling off me. He slumped down into the grass beside me, putting his hands over his head like mine were. His hand brushed the back of mine, and I jerked my hand away. Too close. I looked over at him, and he looked at me, smiling. I smiled back. “Finish the damn lawn, Tobio-kun.” I said in a sing song voice.  
Kageyama just looked at me. He seemed to be observing me. He looked in my eyes, at my mouth, the scar next to my nose, the freckles on my cheeks. He was looking at me, really looking at me. I could barley hear him say okay. He sat up, and walked over to the lawnmower to finish. I watched him walk away, back muscles sparkling with sweat. He looked fucking amazing.  
God help me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry for taking forever!! enjoy!


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